Station-indicator.



G. H. EGBERT.

STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEB. 191 B.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTOR I ATTORNEY e. H. EGBERT. STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE8. i918.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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lNVENTOR 4 'mryeWtex-f ATTOR N EY GEORGE E. EGBERT, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1918. Serial No. 238,943.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. EGBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to exhibitors, and more especially to that type known as station indicators; and the object of the same is to produce a device of this character including a double reel and web marked with the names of stations or streets, and means for moving the web step by step in either direction a predetermined distance.

A further object is to provide mechanism for causing the movement of the web in the opposite direction as when the train or car is returning along its course and the stations or names of streets should be displayed in their reverse order.

Other objects will appear in the following specification and claims. Attention is drawn to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of this device showing one end plate of the casing removed,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the front plate of the casing removed and part of one spool broken away and in section,

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the knob,

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail across one of the spools showing the means for fastening the web thereto,

Fig. 7 is a detail of the wiring shown in diagram. I

Mounted on a back plate 1 is a casing 2 having a transversed opening 3 in its front wall through which the names of the stations or streets on the web are to be displayed one by one, and the back plate also carries bearings in which the several elements hereinafter described are mounted. An upper spool et and lower spool 5 have trunnions removably journaled in said bearings, and the core 6 is made telescopic as indicated in Figs. 2 and 6 so that the trunnions can be withdrawn from said bearings when the spool is to be removed as for the change of the web 7 Or said web may have eyelets 8 at its extremities engaging hooks 9 disposed in grooves in the cores of the spools, much like the music roll on a piano player. The web is perforated along its edges as at 10 and is marked on its face in panels bearing the names of stations or streets as indicated at 11 in Flg. 2, each panel being of a Width corresponding with the opening 3 in the front of Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

the casing so that only onename shall be displayed at a time. Between the spools the web runs over idle roller 12 and between these in turn it passes over a pin roller 13, so called because it has a number of pins 14 engaging the perforations 10. The pin roller shaft carries a wheel 13 Whose periphery is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed notches 15 and 16 shown in Fig. 1. The right hand head of each spool is plain, whereas the left hand head is serrated or toothed on its periphery as at 17, and outside of this head the shaft of the spool carries a bevel gear 18. The trunnions of the spools are fitted rather closely to their bearings so that they rotate with a slight degree of friction therein, the purpose being to hold the web taut as it is being moved from one spool to the other.

The operating mechanism will now be described. Splined on an upright shaft 20 are pinions 24 and having grooved hubs 23 engaged by forks 22 at the extremities of shifter rod 21, the disposition of the shaft being such that when the rod is raised the upper pinion 24 is thrown into mesh with the bevel gear 18 of the upper spool 4, and when the rod is lowered this engagement is interrupted and the lower pinion 25 is thrown into mesh with the bevel gear 18 of the lower spool 5, but at no time can both pinions be in mesh with their gears. Splined on said shaft also is a bevel gear 26 meshing with a pinion 27 on the shaft 28 of an electric motor 29, and when this gear 26 is engaged with the pinion 27 it is obvious that the shaft and both its pinions 24 and 25 will be rotated, the direction of rotation of parts being indicated by arrows in Fig. 1. It remains necessary, therefore, to supply means for conducting an electric current through the motor 29 and cutting it off when it is not needed, and also means for moving the shifter rod selectively to engage either pinion with the desired spool and moving the gear 26 when the upright or power shaft is to be connected with the motor. Pivoted at 30 is a lever 31 whose forward end underlies an electro magnet 32 and carries a depending tooth 35 adapted to engage one of the notches 15 or 16, while its rear end constitutes a dog 37 adapted to engage the teeth 17 in the periphery of the upper spool as seen in Fig. 1, The rear arm of or stations will appear successively opposite this lever also carries a yoke 38 whose arms engage the grooved hub 36 of the gear 26. Pivoted at 40 in said frame is a lower lever 41 whose rear end constitutes a do 47 engaging the teeth of the lower spoo and a in 42 pivotally connects this lever in rear of said ivot 40 with the upper lever 31 forward of its pivot 30. Thewires 49 which lead to the motor 29 are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 as controlled by a switch 48 which is closed when the rear arm of the lever 31 descends. Therefore the upward movement of the front end of this lever closes said switch, throws the gear 26 into mesh with the pinion 27, diseng es both dogs 37 and 47 from the teeth 17, an starts the rotation of the main shaft. Thus power is imparted to whichever spool is engaged with the shaft, and the web moves in the proper direction, its perforations 1O engaging the pins 14 and the pin roller 13 and turnin the latter for a one-half revolution unti the other notch comes under the tooth 35 of the lever 31, when the parts resume the position shown in Fig. 1. I

The shifter 21 is pivoted at 50 to a lever 51 .which in turn is pivoted at 52 as shown, and the front end of this lever carries a knob whose details are best seen in Fig. 5. The knob has a head or handle 53 borne normally inward by a spring 54, and the inner end of its shank carries a tooth 55 adapted to engage one of three notches 56 in a plate 57 as seen in Fig. 1. When the tooth enga es the intermediate notch as shown, the shi ter 21 is in such position that neither pinion engages its respective beveled gear 18; but when the head 53 of the knob 1s drawn forward and its tooth 55 is disengaged from the intermediate notch 56, the knob and therefore the lever 51 may be moved upward or downward so as to correspondingly move the shifter bar and pinion and engage the desired pinion with the gear of the spool which it is desired to rotate by the motor. The shank of the knob projects through a slot 59 in the front of the housing or casing, and the action of this device will take place only at the end of a trip when the car orv train begins its return in the opposite direction and the web must therefore be oppositely moved so that the names of the streets the opening 3, and 1n the proper order.

With the above construction of parts, the

operation is as follows: At proper times and by proper means the circuit leading to the electro magnet 32 is energized, and the upper lever 31 is moved so that its tooth disengages the pin roller 13, while both dogs 37 and 47 release the teeth 17 in the spools. Meanwhile the gear 26 is thrown into mesh with the power pinion 27 and the motor started, and therefore whichever spool is connected with the motor is rotated as has been described until thepin wheel makes a half revolution. This brings another panel on the web opposite the opening 3 in the casing, and as the panels are of the same width as said opening the next succeeding name 11 is disclosed. Automatically the tooth 35 drops into the notch 16 and the parts are restored to the position shown in Fig. 1, where they remain until the next impulse is communicated to the electro magnet 7 32. The circuit may 'be closed manually, mechanically, or by any suitable means forming no part of the present invention. Attention is invited to the fact that when the pin roller has made a half revolution and the tooth dro s into the next notch 16, the dogs 37 and 4 engage the teeth 17 and stop further rotation of the spools although, when the gear 26 is disengaged from the pinion 27, the motor 29 may continue to ro- 8 tate for a little While under momentum without advancing the spools or the web undesirably. In fact, the use of the switch controlled by the upper lever is only for the purpose of saving electricity, because it is 9 not necessary that the motor 29 should revolve all the time although it is possible that it could do so. In other .words, the

pinion 27 may be driven by a motor which is in circuit with a constant source of power 9 when the switch will not be necessary.

When we reach the end of the line, the conductor or some person in charge grasps the knob or head 53 and moves the tooth 55 from one extreme notch in the plate 57 to 1 the other, and this changes the position of parts so that power is applied through the other pinion 24 or 25 to the gear 18' on the other spool. Now on the return trip of the car or train, the web is moved in the opposite 106 direction each time an impulse is supplied to the electric magnet 32. Y

The foregoing description and the drawings have referenceto what may be considered the preferred, or approved, form ofllo my invention. It is to be understood that I may make such changes'in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus fully describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by. Letters Patent, is

1. In a station indicator, the combination with a pair of spools having toothed heads, an intermediate roller having opposite notches, a web passing over the spools and roller, a pivoted trip leverhaving a tooth for engagmgsaid notches, a-nd a dog onthe 1 lever for engaging the'teeth on one spool; of gears on the shafts of the spools, a power shaft having gears. selectively connected with those on the spools, a driven gear movably mounted on tht power shaft and.- slid 1 having a pinion into engagement with which with said spools for drivin by the movement of said lever, a motor said gear is moved by such lever, and means controlling the action of the motor by the movement of the lever.

2; In a station indicator, the combination with upper and lower spools having toothed heads, a web connecting said spools, a roller having oppositely disposed notches, a piv oted trip lever having a tooth for engaging said notches, and a dog on the inner arm of said lever for engaging the teeth on one spool; of a power shaft selectively connected either at will,

a. gear splined on said sha and having a grooved hub, a yoke carried by said lever,

- and engaging the groove of the hub, an electrio motor having a pinion on its shaft with which said gear is engaged by the movement of the trip lever, and a switch to the motor controlled also by the movement of the lever.

3. In a station indicator, the combination with upper and lower spools having toothed heads, a web connecting said spools and having longitudinal perforations, a pin roller with which the perforations engage, the roller having oppositely disposed notches, a pivoted trip lever having a tooth for engaging said notches, and a dog on the inner arm of said lever for engaging the teeth on the upper spool; of a lower pivoted lever having a dog engaging the teeth on the lower spool, a link connecting the two levers to cause them to move in unison, apower shaft selectively connected with said spools for driving either at will, a gear splined on said shaft and having a grooved hub, a yoke carried by said trip lever and engaging the groove of the hub, an electric motor having a pinion on its shaft wvith which said gear is engaged by the movement of the trip lever, and a switch to the motor controlled also 'by the movement of the trip lever.

. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two'witnesses.

GEORGE H. EGBE'RT.

\Vitnesses EVERETT NnnsoN, En KUNTER. 

